Developing a new medical technology is a long-term investment of time, of money and in hope. It is only when a design gets off the drawing pad and becomes a prototype that it can be improved to the practical, usable stage. Then, if it shows promise, it might go to the technical trial, followed by clinical trial.

It is at these latter practical stages when the real advances come: we get improved processes and pathways, we can get different results when we apply knowledge and learning from spreadsheets in actual real life situations, and we get better technologies and improved versions when they exit the lab for use on and by patients.

Medical technologies are used in emergencies, and in disaster management situations, but mostly in enabling people like us to carry out their normal, day-to-day activities.

In the meantime, millions of people across the UK owe not just their lives but also their quality of life to today’s medical technologies. Here are some of their stories, and how they are getting the best out of life despite their conditions.